This summer was filled with great music and great artists. Many were already well known, and they just released new songs. Others were one hit wonders.

One artist who made his way into the rap game this summer is Fetty Wap, whose real name is Wille Maxwell II. Fetty comes from the slang term of “money” because he was known for making money. Wap comes from his tribute to the rapper Gucci Mane’s alias, GuWop.

Fetty Wap is a rapper/singer from Paterson, New Jersey. When he was young, he was fitted with a prosthetic eye. Before he cleared up why he received the eye, many people suspected that he got into a fight and was stabbed/shot in the left eye. Instead, Fetty Wap released in an interview that he battled Glaucoma when he was young and the doctor could not save his left eye. That is when he received the prosthetic. He began rapping in 2013, and he decided to work on his singing as well to “do something different.” It has worked so far with how his music has taken off in the past couple of months.

His first single, “Trap Queen”, got much attention during the mid-end of the school year last year. This song was played over and over on the radio and on social media. People thought Fetty would be a one hit wonder because it took him so long to release his next notable song. Then, on June 29, 2015, he released his second single that was almost as popular as “Trap Queen” titled “679”. “679” proved that Fetty Wap would become something big.

Junior, Nino Salamone told me, “Fetty Wap was a nothing until this song. “Trap Queen” was good and catchy, but when “679” came out, I knew it was real.”

After “679” released, he came out with a slew of songs right of the bat some include: “RGF Island”, “Again”, and “My Way”. “My way” was a special one for Fetty Wap because Drake decided to do a remix of it. So instead of Monty (part of Fetty Wap’s rap gang), the radio played Fetty Wap and Drake. Because Drake was on the song, it gained much more popularity than it most likely would have. Even though I dislike most of Drake’s rapping, I have to thank him for what he did to Fetty Wap.

Fetty Wap’s singing/rapping has carried him a long way. He has strived to be different with the singing, and he has felt the success so far.

Fetty Wap said, “I just consider myself an artist. I don’t really rap. I don’t really sing. I just do what I feel is good, and people like it.”
He recently released his first, self-titled album. It has many great songs such as “D.A.M., I’m Straight”, and the five singles that he released earlier in the year. I highly recommending listening to Fetty Wap. He is a great artist with the potential to change the rap game.

Listen to the song to check him out! (listener discretion advised, explicit content)